E-Business
Hitachi Data Systems Completes Pentaho Acquisition

Hitachi Data Systems Corporation (HDS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., has announced the completion of its acquisition of Pentaho, a leading data integration, visualization and analytics company.
Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, Pentaho will retain its existing brand and continue to operate independently as “Pentaho, a Hitachi Data Systems company” under the leadership of its CEO, Quentin Gallivan, who will now report to Kevin Eggleston, senior vice president of Social Innovation at HDS.
The Pentaho platform will continue to be offered independently and has been integrated by HDS into its advanced analytics foundation software, where it will enhance the company’s existing big data analytics and processing technologies and extend the capabilities of its broader information management product and services portfolio.
HDS is a rapidly emerging global leader in the Internet of Things (IoT), operational technology, big data and machine-to-machine (M2M) analytics. Its big data analytics solutions help organizations transform vast quantities of structured and unstructured data from disparate sources into knowledge through the application of advanced data analytics, connected intelligence from IoT devices, and operational technologies (OT).
Through its integration with the Pentaho platform, HDS is now extending its data integration, refinement, monitoring, management, and orchestration capabilities to deliver an incomparably sophisticated data analytics stack.
This stack powers its Social Innovation solutions and delivers on the full promise of the “Internet of Things that matter,” by helping businesses to derive rich insights from their data with faster time to value, and supporting the development of smarter, safer, healthier and more efficient societies.
“IoT isn’t just about ‘big’ data – it’s also about small data that drives big outcomes,” said Vernon Turner, IDC senior vice president of Enterprise Systems and IDC Fellow for The Internet of Things.
“Hitachi Data Systems recognizes that distinction, and is building a robust analytics framework that uniquely combines Hitachi’s formidable industrial, societal and business expertise with its rich portfolio of data infrastructure and analytics solutions. The Pentaho platform provides a key unifying element that complements HDS’ OT and IT heritage and will pave the way for new innovations in the company’s IoT, analytics, and Social Innovation solution portfolios.”
Through its strategic acquisitions of oXya, Pantascene and Pentaho, HDS is accelerating its Social Innovation vision and IoT product roadmap. At its Connect 2015 conference in Las Vegas in April 2015, HDS unveiled new Social Innovation solutions and services, including Hitachi Live Insight for IT Operations, Hitachi Clinical Repository for Connected Health, and Hitachi Live Insight Center of Excellence, and delivered updates to its existing solutions for the public safety and telecommunications industries.
HDS and Pentaho also recently delivered a new Hitachi Unified Compute Platform (UCP) solution for SAP HANA that enables developers to process and refine big data from any source, at scale.
Melding its existing capabilities in real-time, time-series and predictive analytics together with Pentaho’s data visualization, integration and analysis technologies, HDS has enriched the advanced analytics foundation software that powers its Social Innovation solutions and is poised to deliver on its vision of a new generation of smart businesses and societies.
The company will continue to aggressively expand its footprint in the IoT, OT, M2M and big data analytics markets, with plans to introduce new solutions for connected cars, connected energy and other industries, which leverage the expertise and the full breadth of products, services and industries served by the Hitachi family of companies.
“We are delighted to officially welcome Pentaho to the Hitachi family. Their data analytics, visualization and integration platform is an integral part of our advanced analytics foundation, which is the engine that powers Hitachi Social Innovation solutions,” said Eggleston.
“We are now primed to aggressively deliver on our unified vision for Social Innovation and the full promise of the Internet of Things that matter, by bringing to market holistic and sophisticated solutions that have the power to transform our customers’ businesses and entire markets, while advancing society as a whole.”
E-Business
Galaxy Backbone, Rural Electrification Agency Commit to Deepening Digital and Energy Access Across Nigeria

In a major step towards deepening Nigeria’s digital and energy infrastructure, Galaxy Backbone Limited (GBB) and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at a brief but impactful ceremony held in Abuja.
The MoU signals a collaborative effort between both agencies to enhance Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda by integrating reliable energy solutions with cutting-edge ICT infrastructure, especially in higher institutions, Government institutions, underserved and rural communities across the country.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director/CEO of Galaxy Backbone, Professor Ibrahim A. Adeyanju, described the partnership as “a landmark moment in Nigeria’s journey towards a digitally empowered, sustainably powered, and inclusively connected nation.”
“This partnership exemplifies what is possible when two visionary government institutions come together, united by shared goals and driven by the desire to improve the lives of Nigerians everywhere,” he said.
Professor Adeyanju emphasized that while Galaxy Backbone’s core mandate is to provide secure digital infrastructure that powers government operations, reliable and sustainable energy particularly in rural areas is essential to fully actualize digital transformation.
Major highlights of the MoU include:
- Solar electrification of some of GBB’s Metro Fibre sites in Abuja by the REA.
- Powering Hostels of Higher Institutions across the country through the Fibre to Hostel Project being driven by the Federal Ministry of Communications Innovation and Digital Economy (FMCIDE).
- Support for the rollout of the 774 Local Government Digitization Initiative, beginning with six pilot Local Government Areas.
- Provision of LANs, access points, cloud services, colocation infrastructure, and temporary connectivity to enhance REA’s operational facilities nationwide.
The Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency Mr Abba Aliyu, in his remarks, expressed optimism that this collaboration will further bridge the digital and energy divide across Nigeria. He noted that by combining REA’s achievements in expanding energy access with GBB’s robust ICT backbone, both agencies are poised to create lasting impact across governance, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship.
This partnership is also in direct alignment with the Renewed Hope Digital Transformation Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, which envisions an inclusive digital economy powered by innovation and sustainable energy.
The ceremony was attended by top management from both organizations as well as members of the media.
With today’s signing, Galaxy Backbone and the Rural Electrification Agency have set the tone for stronger, smarter, and more inclusive public service delivery powered by strategic inter-agency collaboration.
E-Business
NIMC Says NIN Services Back Online

National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has announced the restoration of its National Identification Number (NIN) verification services nationwide.
This, according to the commission, follows the completion of a system maintenance exercise.
In a statement issued on Friday, the NIMC confirmed that all previously disrupted services have resumed.
“NIMC wishes to inform the general public that the recent technical maintenance has been completed and all services have been restored,” the statement read.
The NIMC urged Nigerians seeking to enroll for NIN to visit the its official website to locate the nearest enrollment centers.
The agency also encouraged individuals to make use of its self-service portal for tasks such as data modification, including name changes.
To further ease the verification process, the Commission recommended downloading the NIMC NameAuth app (oath.app) from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store for quick and secure NIN authentication.
NIMC expressed appreciation for the public’s patience during the service disruption, which had impacted banks, telecom providers, and government agencies that rely on NIN verification for their operations.
E-Business
Report Reveals African Organizations Dangerously Overestimating Cyber defences

Many businesses are overestimating their defence against cyber attacks, which creates a significant human risk blind spot. A new KnowBe4 report exposes a worrying disconnect between what leaders think about their cyber security readiness and what employees experience.
According to the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025, based on insights from cyber security decision-makers across 30 African countries, despite high awareness, a critical gap exists in turning that awareness into actual readiness and resilient behaviour.
Key findings from the KnowBe4 Africa Human Risk Management Report 2025:
Confidence vs awareness: While cyber security awareness is high, leaders express uncertainty about their workforce’s ability to act on that awareness. Many feel employees may overestimate their capabilities in recognising, reporting and mitigating threats.
The need for adaptive and personalised security awareness training: Many companies fail to personalise security awareness training to specific roles or risk exposures.
Widespread BYOD usage: A large percentage of employees (between 41% and 80%) use their personal devices for work.
AI policy development is lagging: Many companies (46%) are still in the process of developing policies for using AI tools in the workplace.
Regional variation: Southern Africa trains more, East Africa governs AI better and West/Central Africa sees the most human-related security incidents.
This gap is significant because Africa has become an attractive target to cyber criminals, especially those that launch AI-powered attacks. A LexisNexis Risk Solutions study found 60% of South African organisations have seen an increase in AI-facilitated financial crime – above the 56% global average.
Kehinde Popoola, regional manager and key representative for West and East Africa at Rubrik, said digital transformation is gaining momentum in Africa and companies are more exposed to cyber risk. The Rubrik executive adds that amid an increase in threats, it is crucial that organisations adopt an assumed breach mindset.
The KnowBe4 research shows that cyber security preparedness and the actual structures required to support secure behaviour seem misaligned.
The report highlights that just 10% of cyber security leaders are fully confident that staff would report a phishing attack or other cyber threat, despite rating employee security awareness of cyber threats at four out of five or higher.
There is also a significant perception gap between decision-makers and general employees in Africa regarding security awareness training, with 68% of leaders believing that training is tailored to roles, compared to only a third of employees feeling adequately trained.
KnowBe4 asserts that many organisations only conduct annual or biannual training that is too generic to effectively change behaviour, contributing to uncertainty about its effectiveness.
According to another report, the KnowBe4 African Cybersecurity and Awareness Report 2025, which focuses on end-user based responses, only 43% of African respondents felt confident in their ability to recognise a cyber threat, and just one in three believed their security awareness training was adequately tailored to their role. This comparison suggests the development of a dangerous perception gap in many organisations.
“There’s a disconnect here – between what leaders think is happening and what employees are actually experiencing,” says Anna Collard, SVP content strategy and evangelist at KnowBe4 Africa. “The data shows that without procedural and cultural follow-through, awareness simply doesn’t translate into readiness.”
“The continent’s cyber security posture may be more confident than it is truly resilient,” Collard adds.
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